Makita 5012B Owners Manual - Page 13

Notching undercut Make the notch 1/3 the diameter of the tree, perpendicular to the direction of fall as shown in Fig. 17. Make the lower horizontal notching cut first. This will help to avoid pinching of either the saw chain or the guide bar when the second notch is being made. Felling back cut Make the felling back cut at least 2 inches (50.8 mm) higher than the horizontal notching cut as shown in Fig. 17. Keep the felling back cut parallel to the horizontal notching cut. Make the felling back cut so enough wood is left to act as a hinge. The hinge wood keeps the tree from twisting and falling in the wrong direction. Do not cut through the hinge. Direction of fall 2 inches iI Notch - Felling back cut 2 inches Hinge Fig. 17 As the felling cut gets close to the hinge the tree should begin to fall. If there is any chance that the tree may not fall in the desired direction or it may rock back and bind the saw chain, stop cutting before the felling back cut is complete and use wedges of wood, plastic or aluminum to open the cut and drop the tree along the desired line of fall. When the tree begins to fall remove the chain saw from the cut, stop the motor, put the chain saw down, then use the retreat path planned. Be alert for overhead limbs falling and watch your footing. Limbing a tree Limbing is removing the branches from a fallen tree. When limbing, leave larger lower limbs to support the log off the ground. Remove the small limbs in one cut as shown in Fig. 18. Branches under tension should be cut from the bottom up to avoid binding the chain saw. LIMB CUT Keep work off ground Leave support limbs until log is cut // Fig. 18 13